Weight-lifting device for railway-heads or other fiber-drawing machines.



No. 640,786. 7 Patented Ian. 9, I900.

A. W. MATHEWSDN. WEIGHT LIFTING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY HEADS DR OTHER FIBERDRAWING MACHINES.

(Application filed June'fl, 1899.)

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No. 640,786. Patented Ian. 9, I900.

- A. W. MATHEWSON.

WEIGHT LIFTING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY HEADS OR OTHER FIBER DRAWING MACHINES.

(Application and June a, 1899.)

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.lN'IE' TATES PATENT rinse.

ARTHUR IV. MATHEW SON, OF LEWISTON, MAINE.

WEIGHT-LIFTING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-HEADS OR OTHER FIBER-DRAWING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6 0,786, dat d- January19b0- Application filed June 6, 1899. Serial No. 719,526. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. MATHEW- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Lewiston, in the county of Androscoggin andState of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWeight- Lifting Devices for Railway-Heads or Other Fiber-Drawin gMachines,of which the following is a specification.

In railway-heads and other machines that are made use of in thetransformation of cotton and other fiber into yarn a series of pairs ofdrawing-rolls are employed,which are severally made up from anunderfluted metallic roll and a cooperatin g upper fellow roll, which inmost instances is covered with leather or other suitable material and inother instances is left uncovered and provided withrfiutes insubstantially the same manner as the under rolls. As thus arranged, thefiber or other material to be treated is passed through the seriesbetween the upper and under rolls of 4 the several pairs,which in orderto elongate, and thereby reduce the size of the same to the requisitedegree, are so connected with one another or to their driving mechanismthat the several pairs are rotated at a progressively-increasing speedfrom the rear pair, where the material enters between them, to the frontpair, where it emerges after having been drawn and attenuated thereby.The object and purpose of these, rolls being thus to elongate anddistend the material, it is obvious that to gain the proper hold uponthe latter it is necessary that the rolls of each pair be pressedtogether with some considerable pressure, and to this end weights areusually employed,which are caused to exert the force of their gravityupon the upper of such rolls through appropriate saddles or bearings andsuspending-rods,with the consequent efiect of pressing tho top rollsfirmly against the bottom rolls, which to resist such pressure aremounted in fixed and unyielding bearings. In some instances where theseweights are employed and the n umber required .is large it is essentialthat their size be reduced as much as is possible, and in these casesthe action of their gravity upon the rolls is multiplied through theintermediary of levers, which are interposed between the weights and thesuspending-rods that cooperate with the roll saddles or bearings. Inother instances it is'found desirable to dispense with these levers andemploy weights of the proper size to exert the required pressure uponthe top rolls without the employment of those devices, and thisarrangement is especially desirable in railwayrheads, drawing-frames,and various of the other machines that are employed to draw and reducethe size of the material in the earlier stages of its transformation.WVhen, however, this arrangement is employed, the size and gravity ofthe weights are considerable, anddifficulty is experienced in liftingthem, as is necessary when the rolls are to be removed, and which is anecessity that frequently occurs. To provide for raising and loweringthese and the other weights under their difierent arrangements, variousmeans have been devised; but these, while serving to effect the desiredresult when in proper adjustment, are extremely liable to becomedisarranged, and when so disarranged their efficiency becomes impairedand difficulty is experienced in restoring them to their properadjustment. To remedy these defects and provide simple and convenientmeans for raising and lowering the drawing-roll weights of the variousclasses of machines mentioned are the objects of my invention; and tothese ends the invention consists, first, in the employment, inconnection with the weight-sus pending rods having nuts or lugs thereon,of a lifting-frame, through which these rods are passed and whichengages with the nuts or lugs thereon, and means whereby this frame maybe raised and lowered when required; second, in the peculiarities ofconstruction of the weight-suspending rods, and, third, in various otherconstructions and combinations of parts, all of which will behereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure l is an isometric projection of the drawingrollsand weights of a railway-head detached from the machine with myinvent-ion applied in connection therewith; Fig. 2, a transversevertical section of the upper portion of a railway-head with myinvention applied thereto and with the parts in the positions theyoccupy when the weights are suspended from the rolls; Fig. 3, a similarview of the same parts, but showing the weights raised to their highestposition and the other elements cooperating therewith in the positionsthey re spectively occupy when the weights are thus raised; Fig. 4, atransverse sectional plan thereof, taken in the plane as 56 of Fig. 2and looking downward; Fig. 5, a side and edge elevation, respectively,of one of the weightsuspending rods and of one of the weights with aportion of the lifting-frame which cooperates therewith shown intransverse vertical section; Fig. 6, a vertical longitudinal section ofthe upper portion of a drawingframe, showing my invention appliedthereto in a slightly-modified form; and Fig. 7, a verticalsectionalelevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 6, taken in the plane yy of that figure.

In all the figures like letters of reference are employed to designatecorresponding parts.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and ii, A indicates the top -or table of arailway-head, and a a a a and b b b b t-he bottom and top rolls,respectively, 2 5 by means of which the material passing through themachine is drawn and attenuated. These rolls are arranged in pairs, witha bottom and top roll in codperation, and are supported with one pairbehind the other upon the top or table A bystands B, which are providedin their upper edges with opentop bearings c for-,the reception of therolljournals, which are arranged therein. In the drawings I have shownonly a single one of these stands B; but in practice it isduplicated,whereby to aiford a bearing for the rolls at each endthereof, as is well understood. The several pairs of drawing-rolls beingthus disposed are rotated at progressivelyincreaso ing speeds from thepair between which the material enters the machine to that from which itemerges, and in order to insure of the proper hold being taken upon itby them to effect the required draft or distension thereof .5 the toprolls 5 b, &c., are held pressed against their codperating bottom rollsa a, &c., by weights 0, which aresuspended therefrom, all as is commonto railway-heads as heretofore constructed and require no furtherdescription herein. Instead, however, of availing of a rod of the formof that hitherto employed for suspending the weights C from theirrespective top rolls I make use of a rod D, which is composed of threeseveral sections d, d, and 1 as follows: The first or top section I is,as is the case with the remaining sections, made from anappropriately-shaped bar or rod of anysuitable material, with its upperend (Z constructed for engagement directly with the journal of the rollor with a saddle or other bearing 61", that rests thereon, while itslower end is provided with an eye 61 with which engages the hooked oroverturned upper end d of the second or intermediate section cl. 65 Theupper end of this latter section being thus provided with a hooked oroverturned portion (1, its lower end is constructed with an enlarged oroverturned portion (1 through which is formed longitudinally of thesection an orifice 1 in which is received and loosely arranged the upperstraight portion d of the third or bottom section d whereby to be freeto rotate therein. As thus disposed the upper extremity of thislast-mentioned section is provided with a nut or other enlargement dthreaded or otherwise secured thereon, whereby to prevent its withdrawalfrom the orifice (i when in use or otherwise, while its lower end isequipped with a suitable hook d, through which to engage with anappropriate eye (Z in the weight C, as shown. The rod D, beingconstructed as thus described, engages at its upper end with the journalof its appropriate roll, either directly or through the intermediary ofa saddle or bearing dfland connects at its lower end with the weight C,

thereby suspending the latter from the for mer, and in consequence ofthe loose arrangement of the upper end of the section cl in the orifice(2 which allows of its ready rotation therein, it permits of lthedetachment of the weight from and its attachment to its respective rollas often as desired without the liability of altering the adjustment ofthe rod or changing its length. The weights 0 being suspended as aboveexplained, it is obvious that in order to detach them from and attachthem to their appropriate rolls when the lat ter are to be removed orreplaced or otherwise it is necessary that these weights be raised andlowered. When small and lightas, for instance, when designed for useirna spinningmachine-this raising and lowering operation may be effectedby hand. On the contrary, when these weights are large and heavy, aswhen designed for use in a railwayhead and various of the other machinesmade use of in the earlier stages of the transformation of the material,then r it is difiicult and impracticable to so manipulate them, andmechanism for that purpose becomes necessary.

The mechanism for eftecting the raising and lowering of these weightsmay be of various forms. I prefer, however, to make use of the cams Eand E for the purpose and to communicate the required motion therefromto the weights through the intermediaries of a frame or spider F andsuitable connections. These cams are preferably constructed of the formshown in the drawings, and are carried by the shafts E and E to whichthey are respectively secured and which are rotatably supported from theunder side of the top or table A at the proper distance apart by hangersE being operatively connected, whereby to be caused to rotate in unisonby arms e and c, with which they are respectively provided, and asuitable connecting-rod 6 extending between the extremities of thesearms, to which its ends are respectively jointed. The cams E and E,being thus mounted support the frame or spider F, which rests thereon.This frame or spider is composedof the longitudi- IOn nal bars f andtransverse bars f, extending between them. The bars f are preferablymadeof a length to extend across over the cams from one of the dependingflanges a of the top or table A to the other, whereby to be guided intheir vertical movements and held from longitudinal travel thereby, andare severally constructed with a vertical longitudinal slot f for thereception of the suspensionrods D, which pass down through them, beingheld at the proper distance apart for that purpose by the bars f, whichare rigidly jointed at their ends thereto or made integral therewith, asdesired. As thus constructed a rising-and-falling movement may beimparted to this frame or spider from the cams, upon which its bars frest, by imparting to the cams an oscillating motion forward andbackward, and in order to communicate this rising-andfalling motion tothe weights C,I provide each of the suspension-rods D with anenlargement d with which the frame or spider engages when raised, butfrom which it is disengaged when lowered below a certain limit. In someinstances these enlargements c1 may be made in the form of a collar andbe arranged wholly above the bars f. I prefer, however, to make them inthe form of nuts, which are threaded upon their respective rods, wherebyto be ad-,

justable up and down thereon, and to arrange them in chambers f formedby grooving the vertical walls of the slots f whereby to form flanges fboth above and below them. The form of these nuts when employed may bevaried to suit the desires of the constructor; but of Whatever formconstructed they will preferably be made of a size to extend across fromone side of the chamber to the other, whereby to be firmly held therebyfrom turning when the section 61 of their respective rods D is beingrotated to effect the required up or down adjustment of the rod therein.With the sections (1 of the several suspension-rods D thus equipped andarranged in the slots f of the bars f the rising and falling movementsof the frame or spider F will be communicated thereto, and thus bysimply oscillating the cams E and E first in one direction and then inthe other the raising and lowering of the weights 0 may be effected. Themeans whereby the oscillation of these cams is effected may be modifiedin various ways. In my preferred form of construction, however, itconsists of an arm H, which is secured to the end of one of thecam-supporting shafts as, for instance, E

When the frame or spider F is in its lowest position, the cams E and Eare so turned as to bring the portions thereof which have the leastradius beneath the bars f, and in this position it is free fromengagement with the enlargement or nut 01 on the suspension-rods D, andthe weights C are then suspended wholly from their respective toprolls,as shown in Fig. 2. Then, on the other hand, this frame or spiderF is in its highest position,

then these cams are so turned as to bring the portions thereof ofgreatest radius beneath said bars, and in this position the flange f atthe bottom of the chamber f is engaged with the enlargements or nuts 01on the rods D, with the sections 01 thereof forced upward through theorifices d in sections d, to which positions they have been carried bythe upward movement of such frame or spider, and the weights 0 aresuspended wholly therefrom, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In this positionthe saddle or other bearings at the upper ends of the sections (1 may beremoved from the top rolls and the latter then removed or replaced, asmay be desired, and in order to lock the frame or spider F in itshighest position and prevent of its being accidentallylowered therefromI provide one of the cam-supporting shaftsas, for instance, FF-with aprojection or arm 6 that contacts with one of the depending flanges a ofthe top or table A or with one of the hangers E when the portions of thecams having the greatest radius have in the rotation of the cams beencarried under the bars f slightly beyond a Vertical plane passingthrough the axis of their supporting-shaft.

In addition to being guided and prevented from undue longitudinalmovement over the cams E and E by the depending flanges a of the top ortable A, it is desirable that the frame or spider F be guided andprevented from lateral movement along the same. The means adopted forthis purpose may be of various forms. I prefer, however, to make use ofthe hangers E for the purpose, and to this end I construct them of sucha width as permits of their extending downward between the bars f of theframe or spider F and just contact with their inner sides. By thisarrangement the hangers allow of the frame or spider sliding up and downin contact with their edges and of being positively guided thereby fromany lateral displacement.

While in the foregoing the description has been confined more or less tothe invention as applicable to a railway-head or other machines of akindred character, in Figs. 6 and '7 I have illustrated it as applied toa. drawing-frame, upon which I likewise design to employ it. In thesefigures the top. or table A, the stands B, the bottom drawing-rolls a,the top drawing-rolls b, the weights 0, the suspending-rods D,composedof the three several sections 61 d d and provided with the enlargementor nuts d the cams E and E, the shafts E and E the bars f, the hangersE, and the arm H are or may be all the same in construction andoperation as the corresponding parts shown in the remaining figures anddiffer therefrom only in that a number of lengths or sections of thedrawing-rolls are shown arranged end to end on the same top or table,with each length or section provided with its appropriate cooperatingparts. The bars f of the frame or spider F, on the I to 4 eacfrsc otherhand, instead of being joined by transverse bars f and resting directlyupon the cams E and E are made separate and are supported by a frame I,which rests thereon and extends throughout the length of the machine,being provided in its upper side with a channel 'i, in which the severalbars f are all arranged at the proper distance apart transversely of thesame. The same is true respecting the means for operatively connect ingthe cam-operatin g shafts E and Eiwhich, instead of involving the arms 6and e and the connectingrod e includes the sprocketwheels K and K and asprocket-chain K extending over them; but sucharms and connecting-rodmay be employed. in lieu thereof,

if desired, as is the case with the sprocket wheels and chain in lieu ofthe arms and connecting-rod when the invention is applied to arailway-head. By this latter, as with the former, construction theraising and lowering of the weights 0 for all of the toprolls of themachine may be effected at the same time by simply oscillating the camsE and E in one and then in the other direction, which may beaccomplished through the instrumentality of the arm H, secured to theshaft E It will I thus be seen that I produce simple and cfficient meansfor not only suspending the weights from the top rolls of arailway-head, drawing-frame, and other kindred machines, but also forraising and lowering them when the removal and replacement of the rollsare required or otherwise.

Although in the foregoingl have described the best means contemplated byme for carrying my invention into practice, I wish it distinctlyunderstood that I do not limit myself strictly thereto, as it is obviousthat I may modify the same in various ways without departing from thespirit thereof.

Having now described my invention, and specified certain of the ways inwhich it is or may be carried into effect, I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of, the United States- 1. A weight-suspending rod forrailwayheads and other fiber-drawing machines composed of a plurality oflongitudinal sections of which one of these sections is connected withthe adjoining section by a rotatable joint, the elements of which areconstructed with free and unobstructed coiiperating bearingsurfaces thatpermit of the one being rotated around the axis of the other when therod is in place upon its appropriate head or machine, without alteringor changing the length of such rod, substantially as described.

2. A weight-suspending rod for railwayheads and other fiber-drawingmachines coinposed of three several sections, of which the top andbottom sections thereof are adapted for connection with the journal ofthe top roll, and with the weight, respectively, and the bottom sectionis swiveled in the intermediate section by a rotatable joint, theelements of which are constructed with free and unobstructed codperatingsurfaces that permit of the one being rotated around the axis of theother when the rod is in place upon its appropriate head or machine,without altering or changing the length of such rod; substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with the roll-weights of a fiber-drawing machine,and the suspend ing-rods therefor provided with nuts threaded thereon,of a frame having bars that are provided with longitudinal slots throughwhich the suspending-rods are passed, and with recesses for reception ofthe nuts, whereby the extent of independent movement of the frame withrespect to such nuts may be ad justed, substantially as described.

a. The combination, with the weight-lifting frame, the cams upon whichit rests and by which it may be raised and lowered, shafts upon whichthe cams are mounted, devices I through which the shafts are connectedwhereby to move in unison, and devices by which the appropriatemovements may be communicated to such shafts, of the top or table havingdepending flanges whereby the weight-lifting frame is guided andheldfrom longitudinal travel during the raising and lowering of thelatter, and devices for guiding and preventing it from lateraldisplacement during such vertical movements, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the roll-weights of a fiber-drawing machine,the suspendingrods therefor provided with enlargements, a

frame having bars that are provided with slots through which thesuspending-rods are passed and which are adapted to engage with suchenlargements, and mechanism through which a raising-and-loweringmovement may be imparted to such frame, of the top or table providedwith depending flanges, and the hangers for supporting the frame raisingand lowerin g devices, with which flanges and hangers the ends and sidesof the bars of the frame respectively codperate, whereby the raising andlowering of the weights may be effected by the raising and lowering ofsaid frame and the latter guided and held from longitudinal and lateraltravel during its vertical movements, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the top rolls of a railway-head or otherfiber-drawin g machine, the weights for acting thereon, and the rodsthrough which the latter are suspended from the former composed ofsections, one of which in each rod is rotatively connected with itscooperative section whereby to be free to turn therein without changingthe length of the rod, of a nut threaded on one of the sections of eachof said rods, a frame or spider having bars that are provided with slotsthrough which such rods are passed and with recesses for reception ofthe nuts, cams upon which the frame or spider rests, shafts upon whichthe cams are mounted, mechanism through which the shafts are rotativelyconnected, and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a lever forrotating said shafts in one and in my hand this 31st day of May, 1899.the other direction whereby the raising and lowering of the weights maybe effected and ARTHUR MATHEWSON' 5 the top rolls removed and replacedwithout Witnesses:

lengthening or shortening the weight-sus- FRANKLIN M. DREW, pendingrods, substantially as described. GEO. WV. BELT.

